Great video. I freeze my tomatoes whole, just throw them in the freezer. When I go to use them the skins peel off super easy as they thaw out. I also freeze chopped white/yellow onions for soups and stews. Tomato Paste is another thing I freeze as I do not always use all in the tin. I drop tablespoon size blobs onto wax paper on a cookie tray into the freezer. When frozen I peel them off and pop into a zip lock bag.
We like having pre-cooked chicken for dishes like nachos so we buy fresh chicken breasts and cook them on a baking sheet and cool then slice and freeze flat on a baking sheet (so they aren’t stuck together) before putting in our freezer bags. I also freeze berries on sheets before transferring into long term freezer storage so that I can use just a handful at a time from the freezer in recipes.
I love freezing bananas, esp for smoothies. I have to peel mine before freeing or else it is very hard to peel if I don't want to thaw them before using them.
Goodness, you're making me hungry! My hubby and I eat completely out of food storage during the winter -- ferments, frozen, canned. I'm always looking for creative ways to make meals. (I do miss the nice crunch though...) Some of our favorites for those foods that freeze or can mushy -- blender them up! Skip the flour, because they make great thickeners for sauces, gravies, stews, curries. I never make spaghetti sauce without several cups of blendered squash. Another favorite is turning any blendered veggie into a thick cream soup. Cream of asparagus, cream of tomato, cream of potato, cream of broccoli. Mix in a little pasta or rice sometimes. Served with a chunk of homemade bread and a little cheese! So good! I'm never buying canned soup again. Now to go check out those recipes you mentioned. Yum!
Heidi I'm sure you get tired of peeps telling you this, But you are incredible at teaching. Bible says we all have different talents, and at 57 still haven't found mine cause I dig anything wood, anything mechanical or Electronics and Gadgets and now you've given me a new talent. I sure enjoy learning from you. The pouches for eggs is priceless. I always look forward to the opening of your video's that God Is Good...All The Time. Thank You Lady!
Thank you so much! I do appreciate it and no, I do not get tired of it because it always helps keep us going. There are always the negative ones out there that only want to complain about what we do and some that are just flat out rude so when people are appreciative, it counter acts all that nastiness
Lot's of awesome tips. I chop onions, tomatoes, and peppers and freeze them and just pull them out as needed, it works fine in the different things I make. I also do all my fruit for smoothies, never thought to make creamsicles. I've frozen bananas but w/o the skins, I cut them up laid them on a cookie sheet after they are frozen I put them in a container. Thanks Heidi, God bless!
I also freeze cheese but in smaller amounts. You're correct about mold development after a package is opened. Our hands have bacteria and mold spores on them, to eliminate that mold as much as possible wash your hands right before you touch the cheese, it will help. High moisture cheeses tend to have their texture changed by the water freezing and making ice crystals, not really going to get around that. Drier cheeses do better after thawing.
Someone told me once that cheese is alive (cultured) and needs to beathe. So I always wrap my cheese in paper first and then in a vac seal bag. Even in the fridge, it's wrapped in paper and then plastic wrap or foil. I've had cheese in the fridge for over a month with no problem.
I love the way you freeze bananas, and better yet--defrost and squeeze like a tube of toothpaste. About the cheese--I sometimes wrap the blocks in unbleached wax paper or parchment and then overwrap with foil or plastic wrap. No freezer burn that way.
Heidi, just love these series too. I did not know you could do Melons & pineapple. I will have to try that. I do bananas pumpkin, squash peppers, tomatoes, berries, peaches, apples in slices. Thank Heidi for more useful tips.
I cook big batches of dried beans in the crockpot and then freeze in jars. Great for chili or to sprinkle over salads, burritos etc. I use you sock idea to keep them from banging together. Thanks for the tip. Works great!
Hi Beverly, You just took me way back to my beautiful grandmother. She knew I was bean crazy as a kid, and when I'd go visit, she would give me a Big frozen container of her Ham and Beans...Miss Granny🙏✝️
We use our freezer a lot! Definitely trying to doore canning, but as you said, some things I don't like to can because the taste is off to me. I will usually make huge pots of soup and freeze the leftovers for another day. Another thing I like to stock up on when it goes on sale is butter!
Yum! I never thought about the combination of Rhubarb/blueberry/ currant pie. Or just rhubarb blueberry would be good. I've don't strawberry rhubarb apple pear and raspberry rhubarb with apple pear combinations. Peach blueberry pie is really good too. Thank you for your suggestion. I enjoy freezing too. Preping pies and freezing b4 cooking saves a lot of time as well I make pies ahead and freeze as well.
Hiedi. I bought a small freezer because your videos, its a small one, perfect for me and my hubs.. i have frozen pumpkin puree, whole tomatoes, apple cider, from my overage during my fall harvest. I am an hour from my grocers and omy my i can buy cheese now. Ty ty ty. Im so gonna have a Hiedi Home before long!!! Lolol . Oh btw my grandson looooves frozen bananas! He says i love them Nana! So freeze those bananas nana!!! Lolol
Hi Heidi, I love theses videos!! You always have so many wonderful tips to share!! Thank you for all the great ideas on what to freeze. I really like to freeze things but always wonder how they are going to turn out once o go to use them. These tips really answered a lot of my questions!! Love, Mar❤️😘❤️
I freeze a LOT of things! Couple of tips. Every year our tomatoes start coming in before the sweet and hot peppers, so when the peppers do start coming in, I freeze them in 1-2 cup bags (which I then put in a 1-2 gallon bag for the freezer). I also freeze some bell peppers in halves to use for stuffed peppers (or you can go ahead and make the stuffed peppers and freeze them). I roast a lot of pimento peppers and freeze them for making pimento cheese (with the frozen, shredded cheese, of course 😉). I even like to use diced frozen peppers in salads like pasta salad. Cream cheese can also be frozen. I buy it on sale and freeze. Yes, it's crumbly, but who cares! However, one thing that does NOT freeze well is sour cream... won't do that again! Lol! Great video. I haven't frozen eggs before, but as we are planning on adding chickens in the Spring - that's good to know.
My mother canned 60 plus jars of beans every year (9 people in our family) and she used a water bath canner. I didn't realize that pressure canning is recommended and after hearing your comment I did my own research and sure enough, it is highly recommend to pressure can green beans due to their low acidity. Thankfully all my siblings survived our childhood. However, my mother was meticulous about sterilizing everything like a surgical ward (she was a nurse) and this probably helped.
I am assuming your mom did it the old fashioned way that was used long before the onset of pressure canners and that is to water bath for three hours. All low acid foots like meats and vegetables were boiled for that long, fruits and such for much less. It was a tried and true method that many today claim is unsafe yet there were even Ball instructions that I have a copy of for how to use water bath for meats and vegetables. Pressure canning simply cuts the time in half though many today will freak out if you tell them about the old way because they are convinced it is not safe
@@RainCountryHomestead It probably was at least 3 hours. I do remember that she was constantly loading the stove with more wood to keep the water boiling. We only had a wood fueled stove and oven. Boy, was she amazing with all the gardening and canning that she did, washing cloths with an old ringer washing machine, no where to make purchases without a ferry trip across the glacier lake, then a long drive on a mountain road to the nearest town. She was never cranky, or short tempered and was always singing and teaching us. QUESTION FOR YOU; recently I bought 15 LBs of mandarin oranges on sale and canned them. All the jars have fruit floating above the light syrup that I used. They all sealed, but I was concerned and opened the lids to remove some segments from each jar and add more syrup. I put them in the water canner for the allotted time, they sealed and once again there are orange segments above the water. IS THIS SAFE? Thank you Heidi for any information, or web site you know of that can clear up this mystery for me.
@@RainCountryHomestead wish I would have known that last yr, I needed a part for my pressure canner and it was on back order for 4 months..I gave alot of veggies away from my garden as I didnt have room in my freezer for them.
I thought it very serendipitous to see this video when I had bananas thawing in the fridge. I decided to make the granola right away, and I must say it was delicious. I freeze mulberries when in season to enjoy during the winter months. Thank you for all your freely shared information.
I make a coleslaw to freeze. Also I sliced apples and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and put into zip locks. Applesauce is excellent frozen too. I had a lot of extra honey and just put into jars and I froze it all. It freezes really well!
@@kleineroteHex yes it does! However, mine was at least 10 - 12 years old and beginning to discolor and ferment. I knew I wouldn't be able to use it up fast enough, so I froze it 😊
@@brendakilberg5727 wow, I am at about 5 years on one jar, no discoloration so far - one year I bought 5 gallons of local honey; a lot of money up front, but it saves quite a bit compared to buying smaller jars :)
I don't even want to mess with bananas for baking unless I freeze them first. I love not having to mash them and I think they get more banana-y tasting. The tip to snip the end off and squeeze it out is awesome! I stopped blanching several veggies after following the "rules" and getting mushy veg. One vegetable that I don't blanch that you didn't mention is corn on the cob. I didn't think about freezing melon, but I do freeze mango successfully. How much cream to fruit for the cream pops do you use? Thanks for the tips Heidi!
This video is old, I do not even use foodsaver at all anymore. I only freeze in jars or in silicone bags now or in the packaging most meats already come in, especially since most of them are already frozen when I get them. Fresh meats (fish, elk, venison) gets wrapped in freezer paper before freezing
Loved this! I do freeze quite a bit but I have certainly gained some more insight because sometimes I am unsure what to do with some of it. Thank you for sharing!!
When I make greens, my family won't eat them unless I remove the large center rib first. But I hate wasting what amounts to about a third of the greens. So I dice them up small and freeze them to include in soups. I do the same thing with broccoli and cauliflower stems, and cabbage hearts. Another frugal idea is to save your onion skins, leek and scallion tops, and any veggie peelings, thoroughly washed of course. (DON'T use potato peels, the eyes and any green parts are poisonous.) You don't want to actually eat them, but they are great for adding extra flavor and nutrition to stocks and broths, just strain them out when you're done cooking.
I always vacuum seal my cheese with my foodsaver after I've opened the package, and I put it in a secondary foodsaver bag. It takes all the air out and seems to make it last forever in my fridge. I also try to get whatever I want out quickly and get it sealed back up to keep out moisture and air. It only spoils when I am lazy and/or forget to close it back up.
Cheese really does not spoil, it just gets stronger and any mold that forms do to oxygen exposure can simply be cut off and fed to the dogs, cats, or chickens, It is harmless, just not tasty. This is what we always did when I was growing up. People have simply been taught to be afraid of everything
Hello Heidi! U always share wonderful tips and tricks with us, I sooo love them... ur knowledge is golden Heidi, I just wanted to let u know that, because it’s extremely golden to me! I do have a question, because I’m unsure on whether or not on if u vacuum sealed the jars before putting n freezer???? Now, a side note not pertaining to video, but a concern, has anyone noticed where the sun sits today n February? I noticed it n January, I recall the sun to be lower, sitting closer to the south horizon, but she now sits at one o’clock (like she would n late spring, early fall) we have had high temperatures up to 70 “n January” I spoke to many, only 2 said the earth has shifted on its axis, one said she heard we r no longer n zone 7, but now n zone 8. If my concerns on this is incorrect, great, if they r correct, how about a video on it Heidi, most importantly, after the video on this topic, will y’all please do a detailed video on the water catchment system, I seriously think I’m gonna need it here n Oklahoma, we get okay rain for the most part, but we have had plenty of droughts, I can see rain to be a lot less if we r now n zone 8. Thank u
No, I do not vacuum seal the jars, I have a video linked in the description box about how I freeze in the jars. I did try to vacuum seal AFTER the items were frozen but as I suspected, it does not work.
As far as the shift thing, I really do not know anything about that so I cannot say one way or the other. What I do know is our climate is cyclical, meaning things will change every so many years. Some things change (such as amount of rain fall or dry spells) in less amount of years than the cooling and warming trends. I do not know the average years on either of these though I know I have read about it before but just looking at where we live and what the weather has done in the past 30 years, there is clearly a cycle.
speaking of cheese, i buy it in fifty pound blocks or chunks, i call a couple neighbors and we split it up into pieces,,,,i am part of an amish community and they will buy a truckload, so all involved will get great prices, as you know, prices are terrible. I didnt no this about the peas, wil have to try that this year,, i do can my broccoli, and it comes out wonderful, not crispy but still good for soups or stirfrys
I know this is off subject but could you answer a question please? I have seen in videos that people put flour in the freezer for a few days to kill any bugs. Can you do that with beans, grains, rice, pastas, flour and sugar. When you freeze grains for a few days does stop you from being able to sprout them. I’m knew to all this and I’m trying to watch videos to learn so I hopefully won’t make to many mistakes. I’m learning so much from the few videos I have seen of yours!!!!!
Yes, you can freeze all your grains and beans, I personally do not and never have and in the many years I have stored both grains and beans, even back before I took care with repackaging into mylar bags and, oxygen absorbers and gamma seal buckets, I only got weevils one time and in one bucket, which was a surprise as weevils are rarely ever an issue where we live. I do believe they should all sprout just fine after frozen
Questions about the eggs... 1. Are they whole eggs? Whites included? 2. Raw and uncooked? I've been wanting to freeze eggs because we get so many sometimes. Also... where can I look at the bags you have the eggs stored in? Maybe I missed it in your description.
Looks like I forgot to put the link to that video in the description box. Just got it added and I will link to it here. This should answer all your questions: ua-cam.com/video/xonlqnl_jgE/v-deo.html
I got a lot of bananas and froze most, peel on. I prefer to freeze them peeled I learned. Is there a reason that we are to blanch green beans?? I froze them raw last year and loved it so much that this I my preferred method now for sure!!!
@@RainCountryHomestead I know you don't, and I am glad you passed that on!!! I always wonder if there is a reason for blanching though; so I went searching. One article states: "Blanching is scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time as an important step prior to vegetables being frozen. Blanching stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Up until harvest time, enzymes cause vegetables to grow and mature. If vegetables are not blanched, or blanching is not long enough, the enzymes continue to be active during frozen storage causing off-colors, off-flavors and toughening." Total nonsense when it comes to green beans in my opinion! Flavor is way better when not blanched, texture is the same as fresh and I have not found mine to have an off color either. Besides, it makes it so much easier, I do not harvest a ton at one time, so to blanch a handful every time, go through the fuss of cooling them off right after and then freezing, I just put them in a freezer baggy, a meal size for us and right into the freezer it goes.
@@kleineroteHex O, yes, I had read that before and it also did not make sense to me. Those snow peas that I blanched were gross and after that, I never blanched anything again!
@@RainCountryHomestead I usually don't have enough peas, we eat them in season - or the bunnies get to them grrrr but beans I used to blanch and so disliked the process and they were never really great. Then I heard you and gave it a try and oh how wonderful!!!!
a bit off topic but i need some advice ...my ginger bug has developed a scoby , what should i do with it does it have other uses and can i still use the bug to make soda
You can use the scoby for starting vinegar if you want or feed it to chickens if you have them. My chickens love them. If the ginger bug has lost its fizziness though, it likely won't work for starting soda or any other kind of ferment. It is either now wine or it is vinegar. In which case in can be used in anything you would use either of those in
Quick egg questions. You mentioned scrambled to freeze. Could you separate the whites and yolks ..say for my stove top chocolate mousse recipe.. and scramble up six egg whites in one pack and six egg yolks in another freezing separate.. why do they need the scramble up ? Thanks.
I personally have never separated them but I have had people say they have and the yolk turn out odd when separated from the whites. The whites will freeze up fine though, I have done that before when making things where I only needed yolks so I froze up the whites and used them in other things like macaroons.
We do not go through it quickly. I don't eat breakfast usually and I make a lot of hot breakfasts for Patrick and he also likes to switch up the cold breakfasts with organic store bought cereals or leftover rice (he adds cinnamon sugar and milk to the cold rice)
You can lose nutrients just from cooking your foods. The only way to get ALL the nutrients is to eat all foods fresh and raw. This is not always desirable or healthy depending on the food. Kale is healthier when eaten cooked than raw, for example. So yes, canning will destroy some of them but no different than cooking will. This is why I do like to freeze a lot of the things I prefer to keep and use raw such as the fruits for making the creamsicles. However, I use ALL methods of preserving foods, I would rather have home canned foods with some of the nutrients depleted than no food and though we have back up power sources for the freezers, if for some reason we lose all of it or the freezers die, canning it all up is better than allowing it to go to waste.
Blessings to you Heidi🙏🏼‼️
Great video. I freeze my tomatoes whole, just throw them in the freezer. When I go to use them the skins peel off super easy as they thaw out. I also freeze chopped white/yellow onions for soups and stews. Tomato Paste is another thing I freeze as I do not always use all in the tin. I drop tablespoon size blobs onto wax paper on a cookie tray into the freezer. When frozen I peel them off and pop into a zip lock bag.
We like having pre-cooked chicken for dishes like nachos so we buy fresh chicken breasts and cook them on a baking sheet and cool then slice and freeze flat on a baking sheet (so they aren’t stuck together) before putting in our freezer bags. I also freeze berries on sheets before transferring into long term freezer storage so that I can use just a handful at a time from the freezer in recipes.
I love freezing bananas, esp for smoothies. I have to peel mine before freeing or else it is very hard to peel if I don't want to thaw them before using them.
Goodness, you're making me hungry!
My hubby and I eat completely out of food storage during the winter -- ferments, frozen, canned. I'm always looking for creative ways to make meals. (I do miss the nice crunch though...)
Some of our favorites for those foods that freeze or can mushy -- blender them up! Skip the flour, because they make great thickeners for sauces, gravies, stews, curries. I never make spaghetti sauce without several cups of blendered squash. Another favorite is turning any blendered veggie into a thick cream soup. Cream of asparagus, cream of tomato, cream of potato, cream of broccoli. Mix in a little pasta or rice sometimes. Served with a chunk of homemade bread and a little cheese! So good! I'm never buying canned soup again.
Now to go check out those recipes you mentioned. Yum!
Hi Heidi, God is good all the time. Hallelujah.🙏🏻💖 I want to tell
Heidi I'm sure you get tired of peeps telling you this, But you are incredible at teaching. Bible says we all have different talents, and at 57 still haven't found mine cause I dig anything wood, anything mechanical or Electronics and Gadgets and now you've given me a new talent. I sure enjoy learning from you. The pouches for eggs is priceless. I always look forward to the opening of your video's that God Is Good...All The Time. Thank You Lady!
Thank you so much! I do appreciate it and no, I do not get tired of it because it always helps keep us going. There are always the negative ones out there that only want to complain about what we do and some that are just flat out rude so when people are appreciative, it counter acts all that nastiness
Lot's of awesome tips. I chop onions, tomatoes, and peppers and freeze them and just pull them out as needed, it works fine in the different things I make. I also do all my fruit for smoothies, never thought to make creamsicles. I've frozen bananas but w/o the skins, I cut them up laid them on a cookie sheet after they are frozen I put them in a container. Thanks Heidi, God bless!
Great tips! I freeze sweet peppers, green beans, bananas, and pumpkin.
I also freeze cheese but in smaller amounts. You're correct about mold development after a package is opened. Our hands have bacteria and mold spores on them, to eliminate that mold as much as possible wash your hands right before you touch the cheese, it will help. High moisture cheeses tend to have their texture changed by the water freezing and making ice crystals, not really going to get around that. Drier cheeses do better after thawing.
Someone told me once that cheese is alive (cultured) and needs to beathe. So I always wrap my cheese in paper first and then in a vac seal bag. Even in the fridge, it's wrapped in paper and then plastic wrap or foil. I've had cheese in the fridge for over a month with no problem.
I love the way you freeze bananas, and better yet--defrost and squeeze like a tube of toothpaste. About the cheese--I sometimes wrap the blocks in unbleached wax paper or parchment and then overwrap with foil or plastic wrap. No freezer burn that way.
I have never had freezer burn on my cheese, but good idea :D
Heidi, just love these series too. I did not know you could do Melons & pineapple. I will have to try that. I do bananas pumpkin, squash peppers, tomatoes, berries, peaches, apples in slices. Thank Heidi for more useful tips.
I cook big batches of dried beans in the crockpot and then freeze in jars. Great for chili or to sprinkle over salads, burritos etc. I use you sock idea to keep them from banging together. Thanks for the tip. Works great!
Hi Beverly, You just took me way back to my beautiful grandmother. She knew I was bean crazy as a kid, and when I'd go visit, she would give me a Big frozen container of her Ham and Beans...Miss Granny🙏✝️
@@mitch5077 I had a wonderful grandma myself! The old ways were so simple and nurturing. I bet there was a lot love in those beans!
Do you ever sleep?? I’m amazed at all the things you do!! I just found your videos and I’m really enjoying them!!
We use our freezer a lot! Definitely trying to doore canning, but as you said, some things I don't like to can because the taste is off to me. I will usually make huge pots of soup and freeze the leftovers for another day. Another thing I like to stock up on when it goes on sale is butter!
Yes! That is one thing I forgot to mention is butter, I stock up on it and freeze it as well!
Yum! I never thought about the combination of Rhubarb/blueberry/ currant pie. Or just rhubarb blueberry would be good. I've don't strawberry rhubarb apple pear and raspberry rhubarb with apple pear combinations. Peach blueberry pie is really good too.
Thank you for your suggestion. I enjoy freezing too. Preping pies and freezing b4 cooking saves a lot of time as well
I make pies ahead and freeze as well.
Hiedi. I bought a small freezer because your videos, its a small one, perfect for me and my hubs.. i have frozen pumpkin puree, whole tomatoes, apple cider, from my overage during my fall harvest. I am an hour from my grocers and omy my i can buy cheese now. Ty ty ty. Im so gonna have a Hiedi Home before long!!! Lolol . Oh btw my grandson looooves frozen bananas! He says i love them Nana! So freeze those bananas nana!!! Lolol
My great niece and nephew love frozen grapes, but I never thought about giving them frozen banana. Thanks for the tip!
@@denisescull4227 oh your niece and nephews will looove it.. 😍
I had a lot of cabbage this last year and I blanched it a threw it in the freezer. Great for soups. Or with sausage warmed up
I would have never thought to freeze cabbage.....I will have to do this. Thanks.
@@tonimitchell9930 welcome. You can't tell the difference between that and fresh
Hi Heidi, I love theses videos!! You always have so many wonderful tips to share!! Thank you for all the great ideas on what to freeze. I really like to freeze things but always wonder how they are going to turn out once o go to use them. These tips really answered a lot of my questions!! Love, Mar❤️😘❤️
And I even forgot to mention freezing milk!
Just found your channel and I love food preservation. Thank you for sharing.
I freeze a LOT of things! Couple of tips. Every year our tomatoes start coming in before the sweet and hot peppers, so when the peppers do start coming in, I freeze them in 1-2 cup bags (which I then put in a 1-2 gallon bag for the freezer). I also freeze some bell peppers in halves to use for stuffed peppers (or you can go ahead and make the stuffed peppers and freeze them). I roast a lot of pimento peppers and freeze them for making pimento cheese (with the frozen, shredded cheese, of course 😉). I even like to use diced frozen peppers in salads like pasta salad.
Cream cheese can also be frozen. I buy it on sale and freeze. Yes, it's crumbly, but who cares! However, one thing that does NOT freeze well is sour cream... won't do that again! Lol! Great video. I haven't frozen eggs before, but as we are planning on adding chickens in the Spring - that's good to know.
Yep, I have frozen cream chees as well and I freeze a lot of milk too
@@RainCountryHomestead I want to try freezing milk, too. One of my grandsons can drinl more milk than anyone I've ever seen!
My mother canned 60 plus jars of beans every year (9 people in our family) and she used a water bath canner. I didn't realize that pressure canning is recommended and after hearing your comment I did my own research and sure enough, it is highly recommend to pressure can green beans due to their low acidity. Thankfully all my siblings survived our childhood. However, my mother was meticulous about sterilizing everything like a surgical ward (she was a nurse) and this probably helped.
I am assuming your mom did it the old fashioned way that was used long before the onset of pressure canners and that is to water bath for three hours. All low acid foots like meats and vegetables were boiled for that long, fruits and such for much less. It was a tried and true method that many today claim is unsafe yet there were even Ball instructions that I have a copy of for how to use water bath for meats and vegetables. Pressure canning simply cuts the time in half though many today will freak out if you tell them about the old way because they are convinced it is not safe
@@RainCountryHomestead It probably was at least 3 hours. I do remember that she was constantly loading the stove with more wood to keep the water boiling. We only had a wood fueled stove and oven.
Boy, was she amazing with all the gardening and canning that she did, washing cloths with an old ringer washing machine, no where to make purchases without a ferry trip across the glacier lake, then a long drive on a mountain road to the nearest town. She was never cranky, or short tempered and was always singing and teaching us.
QUESTION FOR YOU; recently I bought 15 LBs of mandarin oranges on sale and canned them. All the jars have fruit floating above the light syrup that I used. They all sealed, but I was concerned and opened the lids to remove some segments from each jar and add more syrup. I put them in the water canner for the allotted time, they sealed and once again there are orange segments above the water. IS THIS SAFE?
Thank you Heidi for any information, or web site you know of that can clear up this mystery for me.
@@RainCountryHomestead wish I would have known that last yr, I needed a part for my pressure canner and it was on back order for 4 months..I gave alot of veggies away from my garden as I didnt have room in my freezer for them.
I thought it very serendipitous to see this video when I had bananas thawing in the fridge. I decided to make the granola right away, and I must say it was delicious. I freeze mulberries when in season to enjoy during the winter months. Thank you for all your freely shared information.
I make a coleslaw to freeze. Also I sliced apples and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and put into zip locks. Applesauce is excellent frozen too. I had a lot of extra honey and just put into jars and I froze it all. It freezes really well!
But honey holds forever, no need to freeze.
@@kleineroteHex yes it does! However, mine was at least 10 - 12 years old and beginning to discolor and ferment. I knew I wouldn't be able to use it up fast enough, so I froze it 😊
It is still perfectly fine to use. I caught in time
@@brendakilberg5727 wow, I am at about 5 years on one jar, no discoloration so far - one year I bought 5 gallons of local honey; a lot of money up front, but it saves quite a bit compared to buying smaller jars :)
I don't even want to mess with bananas for baking unless I freeze them first. I love not having to mash them and I think they get more banana-y tasting. The tip to snip the end off and squeeze it out is awesome! I stopped blanching several veggies after following the "rules" and getting mushy veg. One vegetable that I don't blanch that you didn't mention is corn on the cob. I didn't think about freezing melon, but I do freeze mango successfully. How much cream to fruit for the cream pops do you use? Thanks for the tips Heidi!
Here is one of my most recent creamsicle recipes but I have several others out there: ua-cam.com/video/aAYYZYI_VAo/v-deo.html
I do most of what you talk about but I am checking out freezing in glass jars because I had some break in the freezer.
This video is old, I do not even use foodsaver at all anymore. I only freeze in jars or in silicone bags now or in the packaging most meats already come in, especially since most of them are already frozen when I get them. Fresh meats (fish, elk, venison) gets wrapped in freezer paper before freezing
Loved this! I do freeze quite a bit but I have certainly gained some more insight because sometimes I am unsure what to do with some of it. Thank you for sharing!!
Love the videos and have gotten lots of inspiration from them. Would love to see a video on how you actually put cheese up in the freezer.
I did show photos of how I do it in this video but next time I stock up on cheese, I will do a video on that.
Freezing bean sprouts for oriental recipes works rather good.
When I make greens, my family won't eat them unless I remove the large center rib first. But I hate wasting what amounts to about a third of the greens. So I dice them up small and freeze them to include in soups. I do the same thing with broccoli and cauliflower stems, and cabbage hearts.
Another frugal idea is to save your onion skins, leek and scallion tops, and any veggie peelings, thoroughly washed of course. (DON'T use potato peels, the eyes and any green parts are poisonous.) You don't want to actually eat them, but they are great for adding extra flavor and nutrition to stocks and broths, just strain them out when you're done cooking.
Your face looks gorgeous, so fresh! Thank you for the tips, I freeze peeled bananas and cover with chocolate and put it back in the freezer...yummy.
I always vacuum seal my cheese with my foodsaver after I've opened the package, and I put it in a secondary foodsaver bag. It takes all the air out and seems to make it last forever in my fridge. I also try to get whatever I want out quickly and get it sealed back up to keep out moisture and air. It only spoils when I am lazy and/or forget to close it back up.
Cheese really does not spoil, it just gets stronger and any mold that forms do to oxygen exposure can simply be cut off and fed to the dogs, cats, or chickens, It is harmless, just not tasty. This is what we always did when I was growing up. People have simply been taught to be afraid of everything
Excellent tips, I always learn something new, blessings
Great tips. Thanks
Good tips and tricks~
Hello Heidi! U always share wonderful tips and tricks with us, I sooo love them... ur knowledge is golden Heidi, I just wanted to let u know that, because it’s extremely golden to me! I do have a question, because I’m unsure on whether or not on if u vacuum sealed the jars before putting n freezer???? Now, a side note not pertaining to video, but a concern, has anyone noticed where the sun sits today n February? I noticed it n January, I recall the sun to be lower, sitting closer to the south horizon, but she now sits at one o’clock (like she would n late spring, early fall) we have had high temperatures up to 70 “n January” I spoke to many, only 2 said the earth has shifted on its axis, one said she heard we r no longer n zone 7, but now n zone 8. If my concerns on this is incorrect, great, if they r correct, how about a video on it Heidi, most importantly, after the video on this topic, will y’all please do a detailed video on the water catchment system, I seriously think I’m gonna need it here n Oklahoma, we get okay rain for the most part, but we have had plenty of droughts, I can see rain to be a lot less if we r now n zone 8. Thank u
No, I do not vacuum seal the jars, I have a video linked in the description box about how I freeze in the jars. I did try to vacuum seal AFTER the items were frozen but as I suspected, it does not work.
As far as the shift thing, I really do not know anything about that so I cannot say one way or the other. What I do know is our climate is cyclical, meaning things will change every so many years. Some things change (such as amount of rain fall or dry spells) in less amount of years than the cooling and warming trends. I do not know the average years on either of these though I know I have read about it before but just looking at where we live and what the weather has done in the past 30 years, there is clearly a cycle.
❤ the video 👍👍👍
speaking of cheese, i buy it in fifty pound blocks or chunks, i call a couple neighbors and we split it up into pieces,,,,i am part of an amish community and they will buy a truckload, so all involved will get great prices, as you know, prices are terrible. I didnt no this about the peas, wil have to try that this year,, i do can my broccoli, and it comes out wonderful, not crispy but still good for soups or stirfrys
Hi Heidi love your videos. How long can you keep the eggs in the freezer?
I have so far kept them for two years with no problem
I know this is off subject but could you answer a question please? I have seen in videos that people put flour in the freezer for a few days to kill any bugs. Can you do that with beans, grains, rice, pastas, flour and sugar. When you freeze grains for a few days does stop you from being able to sprout them. I’m knew to all this and I’m trying to watch videos to learn so I hopefully won’t make to many mistakes. I’m learning so much from the few videos I have seen of yours!!!!!
Yes, you can freeze all your grains and beans, I personally do not and never have and in the many years I have stored both grains and beans, even back before I took care with repackaging into mylar bags and, oxygen absorbers and gamma seal buckets, I only got weevils one time and in one bucket, which was a surprise as weevils are rarely ever an issue where we live.
I do believe they should all sprout just fine after frozen
Rain Country Thank you!!
I’m still looking for the best way to stock up/store long term brussel sprouts. Freezing them makes them yucky soft.
I have yet to grow Brussels sprouts but the ones I buy frozen from the store have always been good
Same here. They (and asparagus) are on sale this week at Sprouts and I want to freeze some.
My great grandmother froze store bought loaf bread witch see used to toast.
I want to try that, lots of videos on it out there but all are different, Guess I'll experiment.
What about freezing riced cauliflower or broccoli florets in small water bottles or bags to make something like broccoli cheese rice?
Of course! :)
Questions about the eggs...
1. Are they whole eggs? Whites included?
2. Raw and uncooked?
I've been wanting to freeze eggs because we get so many sometimes.
Also... where can I look at the bags you have the eggs stored in? Maybe I missed it in your description.
Looks like I forgot to put the link to that video in the description box. Just got it added and I will link to it here. This should answer all your questions: ua-cam.com/video/xonlqnl_jgE/v-deo.html
I got a lot of bananas and froze most, peel on. I prefer to freeze them peeled I learned.
Is there a reason that we are to blanch green beans?? I froze them raw last year and loved it so much that this I my preferred method now for sure!!!
I never blanch beans, or anything for that matter
@@RainCountryHomestead I know you don't, and I am glad you passed that on!!! I always wonder if there is a reason for blanching though; so I went searching. One article states: "Blanching is scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time as an important step prior to vegetables being frozen. Blanching stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Up until harvest time, enzymes cause vegetables to grow and mature. If vegetables are not blanched, or blanching is not long enough, the enzymes continue to be active during frozen storage causing off-colors, off-flavors and toughening." Total nonsense when it comes to green beans in my opinion! Flavor is way better when not blanched, texture is the same as fresh and I have not found mine to have an off color either. Besides, it makes it so much easier, I do not harvest a ton at one time, so to blanch a handful every time, go through the fuss of cooling them off right after and then freezing, I just put them in a freezer baggy, a meal size for us and right into the freezer it goes.
@@kleineroteHex O, yes, I had read that before and it also did not make sense to me. Those snow peas that I blanched were gross and after that, I never blanched anything again!
@@RainCountryHomestead I usually don't have enough peas, we eat them in season - or the bunnies get to them grrrr but beans I used to blanch and so disliked the process and they were never really great. Then I heard you and gave it a try and oh how wonderful!!!!
a bit off topic but i need some advice ...my ginger bug has developed a scoby , what should i do with it does it have other uses and can i still use the bug to make soda
You can use the scoby for starting vinegar if you want or feed it to chickens if you have them. My chickens love them. If the ginger bug has lost its fizziness though, it likely won't work for starting soda or any other kind of ferment. It is either now wine or it is vinegar. In which case in can be used in anything you would use either of those in
Quick egg questions. You mentioned scrambled to freeze. Could you separate the whites and yolks ..say for my stove top chocolate mousse recipe.. and scramble up six egg whites in one pack and six egg yolks in another freezing separate.. why do they need the scramble up ? Thanks.
I personally have never separated them but I have had people say they have and the yolk turn out odd when separated from the whites. The whites will freeze up fine though, I have done that before when making things where I only needed yolks so I froze up the whites and used them in other things like macaroons.
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I love the thought of this granola recipe, ?how long does it last with your husband and father / son/s / brother/s?
We do not go through it quickly. I don't eat breakfast usually and I make a lot of hot breakfasts for Patrick and he also likes to switch up the cold breakfasts with organic store bought cereals or leftover rice (he adds cinnamon sugar and milk to the cold rice)
?so he doesn't graze through it as a snack, throughout the weeks?
Another question, doesn't canning take much of the nutrients out of the food? thx
You can lose nutrients just from cooking your foods. The only way to get ALL the nutrients is to eat all foods fresh and raw. This is not always desirable or healthy depending on the food. Kale is healthier when eaten cooked than raw, for example. So yes, canning will destroy some of them but no different than cooking will. This is why I do like to freeze a lot of the things I prefer to keep and use raw such as the fruits for making the creamsicles. However, I use ALL methods of preserving foods, I would rather have home canned foods with some of the nutrients depleted than no food and though we have back up power sources for the freezers, if for some reason we lose all of it or the freezers die, canning it all up is better than allowing it to go to waste.
I think you mentioned milk in a previous video. Anything special we need to know about doing that? Do you freeze it in it's own carton?
Yes, I buy it in the boxes at coscto and freeze the cartons. Can't believe I forgot to mention that one here!
Hi Heidi, thanks again for another great video! I was wondering how long the homemade mayo lasts in the frig. thx
I have had mine last for a couple of months. I think the types of oils used makes the difference as well as the addition of vinegar
Has anyone tried dehydrating eggs and making your own powdered eggs for long term storage? Just wondering how well it works.
Bev over at OurHalfAcreHomestead has some old videos on doing that. She has done both raw and cooked eggs
I agree it is gross but it is the easiest and best way to get them out. I do have to add mine are thawed other wise your hands freeze.
I have bananas in my freezer right now. 😁
i freeze my bananas whole too...:)
Where do you get the cheese? I struggle hearing anymore sadly I've rewound it 5 times and I cant comprehend it
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